Never Defeated

NEVER DEFEATED

John 16.16-33

S: Victory in the face of Pain and Opposition

C: Holding it together when “bad” things happen

Pr: WE ARE CONFIDENT OF VICTORY.

?: How? How is it to be observed?

KW: Contrasts

TS: We will find in our study of John 16.16-33 two contrasts that show how and why we can be confident of final victory.

Type: Proposition

The ____ contrast is…

I. SORROW & JOY (16-24)

II. DISARRAY & PEACE (25-33)

PA: How is the change to be observed?

• Realize that hardship is a part of life.

• Rejoice that God reveals Himself when chaos abounds.

• Don’t lose faith in the midst of conflict.

Version: ESV

RMBC 18 February 07 AM

INTRODUCTION:

I think we all realize it, but let me repeat it here…

1. Sometimes, life just hurts.

ILL Pain (H)

There were some students in a third-grade class who were bombarding the teacher with questions about her newly pierced ears:

"Does the hole go all the way through?"

"Yes."

"Did it hurt?"

"Just a little."

"Did they stick a needle through your ears?"

"No, they used a special gun."

Silence followed, and then one solemn voice called out, "How far away did they stand?"

I think a principle comes to light here.

To get pierced ears, it is going to hurt.

In the bigger picture of things…

2. To get to the good stuff, we must go through some pain.

This certainly is a biblical concept, and is borne out in today’s text.

TRANSITION:

As we come to the 16th chapter of John, we observe that…

1. Jesus is giving His final words before the cross.

As we have moved through the teaching in chapters 13 to the present, we have gone from the upper room where Jesus washed the feet of the disciples and had what we often refer to as the Last Supper, and now to the Garden of Gethsemane.

It is now just a matter of hours before the impending arrest of Jesus.

These are some of the last moments Jesus has with His disciples before His death.

It is His last opportunity to say many of the things that needed to be said before the cross happens.

As we noted two weeks ago, Jesus has communicated that it is better that He leaves.

For, when the Spirit comes, He will release Jesus’ life within them.

Then they will be able to live by Him, as He has lived by the means of the Father.

This is the secret which makes the fulfillment of the high demands of Christian living possible.

A Christian lives by the same principle that Jesus did.

He lived by means of the Father, in dependence and trust in Him, moment by moment.

In the same way, we are to live by then means of the Son, in dependence and trust in Him through the Holy Spirit.

Jesus communicates that when this happened, the Spirit would guide them into all truth.

Gradually, He will unfold the facts about life, the reality of existence, and will enable them to love one another.

That was the good news.

But it was not all the news.

For…

2. Jesus says that it is going to be bad before it gets better.

Jesus never hid the truth from the disciples.

They did not always get it, but He is clearly seeking to prepare them for the tough time that is momentarily ahead of them.

You see, Jesus never painted a picture of discipleship that was only the good news.

He clearly communicated the cost that was involved.

In this passage, though, the cost was not the end of the story.

The end of the story is victory.

It is a victory that we do not earn, but we are given.

You see…

3. WE ARE CONFIDENT OF VICTORY.

Why?

Because pain and suffering is not the end of the story.

So, how does it happen that we can be confident of victory?

Well…

4. We will find in our study of John 16.16-33 two contrasts that show how and why we can be confident of final victory.

OUR STUDY:

I. The first contrast is SORROW & JOY (16-24).

(16) “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” (17) So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” (18) So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” (19) Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? (20) Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. (21) When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. (22) So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. (23) In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. (24) Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.